


Dress Inspection

by JoAryn



Category: Star Trek: Voyager
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-16
Updated: 2014-01-16
Packaged: 2018-01-08 23:05:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,766
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1138501
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JoAryn/pseuds/JoAryn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A bit of naughtiness set following "Bride of Chaotica" . . .</p>
            </blockquote>





	Dress Inspection

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Malezita](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Malezita/gifts).



> Authors note: They aren't mine, but they're probably glad since when I borrow them they get glimpses of the utterly horrible things I can dream up ;) Huge thanks to both Koneia and CoriMaree for acting as betas on this.
> 
> This may superficially resemble the CallHerVictor's story "The Man Who Knew To Much", simply because I loved Malezita's request for the Secret Summer 2013 on VAMB and decided to write my own story from the prompt. This is definitely not as edgy as that story.

Dress Inspection

by JoAryn

 

Although he was ostensibly in charge of the bridge, there was little to do other than stare at sensor readings and hope that Kathryn, Paris, Harry and the Doctor were successful in their mission on the holodeck. Chakotay made sure that each of the auxiliary bridge crew understood what was going on, what to look for and when to notify him before slouching into his regular seat and queuing up a feed from the holodeck on the center console.

 

He could have asked the replacement Ops officer to patch it through to the center screen, but he wanted everyone focused on their work, not on the ridiculous events playing out on the holodeck. And ridiculous they were: the entire scenario was in black-and-white, with an over-blown villain with the absurd name of Chaotica. And when he'd seen the outfit that Paris had given Kathryn for her part as Queen Arachnia, he hadn't known whether to laugh or cry.

 

The full-length dress shimmered even in the monochrome environment, with a slit up the side to allow for easier movement. It had long sleeves and a cut out neckline that showed more cleavage than the Captain was usually comfortable with. A brief flash of her in a floral sundress appeared in his mind, another occasion on which Kathryn had shown her more feminine side to the crew. He smiled faintly in remembrance before focusing on the current events again. The final feature of the dress was a bizarre collar that flared upward around Kathryn's head. It didn't look at all comfortable and Chakotay hoped that she wasn't too annoyed with Paris over the getup.

 

Eventually, Kathryn as Arachnia was able to disable Chaotica's so-called Lightening Shield long enough for Paris and Harry to destroy the "Death Ray". Tuvok reported that the distortions were closing and Torres confirmed that *Voyager* was returning to normal space. Chakotay ordered the helm to move them away from the subspace sandbar. They still had repairs to make before they resumed their course, but at least when they were ready, they wouldn't have to contend with the photonic aliens.

 

He watched as Kathryn regarded the expiring holodeck villain, then turned off the feed. He told Ops to shut down the holodeck and turned command of the bridge over to Tuvok before heading for deck three. He suspected that Kathryn would want to get out of the Arachnia costume as soon as possible and he wasn't about to miss what might be his only opportunity to see it in person. He doubted she would linger on the holodeck once the program was shut down and he willed the turbolift to move faster.

 

As he approached her quarters from one direction, he saw her striding up the corridor from the opposite direction. He stopped at her door and just enjoyed the sight. The slit of the skirt flashed a tantalizing length of leg with every step and he could see that the shoes were every bit as provocative as the gown. A faint pattern he hadn't been able to make out on the torturous collar revealed itself to be faint cobwebs, appropriate for the Queen of the Spider People. One side of his mouth crooked up in a playful leer.

 

Kathryn shook her head slightly, a rueful smile curling her deeply rouged lips. The makeup, which Chakotay assumed was part and parcel of the costume, was much more intense than what she usually wore, but it worked with the dress. She rolled her eyes in response to his appraisal and he grinned. As she reached for the pad to key in her code, he gave a loud wolf whistle.

 

As the doors to her quarters slid open, she whirled, grabbed his arm and pulled him abruptly within. The doors slid quietly shut behind them, blocking the prying eyes of any potentially interested crew member, and leaving him alone with a less than pleased looking captain. With her hands on her hips and a glare that had intimidated its fair share of belligerent aliens, she looked at once both terrifying and sexy as hell.

 

"Nice dress?" he offered with a shrug. He seriously hoped that she wasn't truly angry with him. In recent months, since their departure from the Void and the crew's mini-mutiny, they'd been slowly progressing toward what he hoped was the close relationship they'd shared prior to the ill-fated Borg alliance.

 

She glared at him a fraction of a second longer, then dissolved into laughter right along with him. "You'll keep, Commander. Now help me get this damned dress off."

 

His eyebrows jerked upwards in confusion and surprise. He hesitated, unsure if she was in earnest or implying that he needed to get out. Either seemed reasonable but, as much as he wanted it to be the former, he was terrified that it was the latter. If he made the wrong move, he would completely eliminate any chance of them ever being more than friends.

 

He met her eyes, trying to read her intentions there, but at the moment all he read was amusement and he wasn't sure if it was at the dress or at him. “Uh, Kathryn?” Even if she thought he was an idiot for asking, it was far better to be an informed idiot than an presumptive jerk.

 

One of her eyebrows did a remarkable imitation of Tuvok's when a human member of the crew did something highly illogical but remarkably successful. Whereas on Tuvok the expression was one of bemusement, on Kathryn it was more expectant. He took a tentative step forward, hoping desperately that he wasn't misreading her and that he wasn't about to wind up in the brig.

 

Quick as a striking snake, her hand shot out and closed around his wrist, pulling him to her. He stumbled, desperately trying to prevent himself from slamming into her and knocking her down. He was only partially successful and they both over-balanced and fell onto her desk.

 

“Ooof!”

 

“Ouch!”

 

He'd only just managed to turn them as they fell so that the hard edge of the desk dug into his lower back and Kathryn had fallen into him. Wincing slightly at the edge that seemed to be trying to wedge itself between two of his vertebrae, he nevertheless helped Kathryn regain her feet first. "You okay?"

 

She made a show of checking for imaginary dust as she took a step back. She tottered slightly as she did so and it called his attention to her footwear. He wasn't sure if he'd call them shoes, exactly, but whatever they were, they were black, shiny, and every bit as evocative as the dress itself. The heels seemed impossibly high and treacherously narrow. He was very glad that one of them had not come down on his feet just now. Even with his standard uniform boots, he imagined it would be very painful.

 

"Fine, thanks to you." Apparently done checking herself, Kathryn noticed he was still leaning against that table and offered a helping hand.

 

Wary of the shoes, he waved it away and gingerly pushed himself upright. He wasn't quick enough to hide a grimace, though, and she was instantly at his side. She looped one arm around his back, mercifully above where he'd impacted the table, and settled her shoulder under his armpit to provide support. She helped him to the couch and eased him down on to it.

 

Sitting wasn't any more painful than standing and he hoped the wound was nothing more than a severe bruise. Kathryn half-knelt on the couch as she pulled up his jacket and under-tunic. He could tell by her hiss than the injury looked nasty.

 

Abruptly, she backed away. Bending over, she gave him a rueful smile as she removed the shoes. Straightening, she headed for her desk and retrieved a tricorder from one of the drawers. He didn't want to think about why she had a medical tricorder in her quarters but just knew he was glad of it as she quickly and efficiently scanned his back.

 

"Just a nasty bruise," she diagnosed, snapping the tricorder shut. He could hear the relief in her voice and he let out his own relieved sigh. It wasn't anything a dermal regenerator couldn't fix and if he was lucky, he could get the Doctor to treat it without any awkward questions. He occasionally visited sickbay after a couple rounds of boxing on the holodeck and although the safeties would generally prevent an injury like this from occurring, he might be able to blame it on falling into the ropes. After all, if the ropes didn't catch him, he might be more seriously injured falling off the edge of the ring.

 

He heard a faint humming and felt a pleasant sort of tingling heat on his back and realized that the Doctor would be none the wiser. Along with the medical tricorder, Kathryn apparently also had a dermal regenerator secreted away in her quarters. "Does that feel better?" Her hot fingers skimmed over the regenerated flesh and he sucked in a breath.

 

"Ah, yes, much."

 

Dropping the medical instruments on the side table, she sat next to him on the couch, collar almost brushing his shoulder. "I'm glad. That could have been a serious injury." She was looking at him fully and he could see the only slightly banked concern in her eyes.

 

He grasped one of her hands. "I'm fine, really. Nothing that the tender ministrations of Dr. Janeway couldn't fix." To compliment his message, he smiled.

 

Here look of concern eased, transforming into a small smile. “Good. Would have put a damper on the evening.” Her free hand came up to stroke over his tattooed brow. When she stretched up for a kiss, he was more than willing. Her lips caressed his, opening eagerly to taste him as she stroke her tongue along his full lower lip. He was about to deepen the kiss when he saw one of the dangerous looking points of the collar nearing his eye and flinched backwards, raising a hand to ward off another accidental injury.

 

Kathryn pull back too, with a hurt expression before she realized what had alarmed him. She picked up the hand he was holding and brought his fingers to her mouth for a brief kiss. "I believe I asked for some help with getting this dress off earlier." A faintly mischievous smile danced on her lips. She stood and pulled him with her.

 

"I wasn't sure you were serious."

 

"Oh, I am. This collar isn't only dangerous but damned uncomfortable." She experimentally craned her neck, trying to ease the cramped muscles.

 

"Here, let me."

 

Hands on her shoulders, thumbs stroking her skin through the fabric of the dress, Chakotay carefully backed her into her bedroom, never once losing eye contact with her. He stopped her by the side of the bed and his hands moved from her shoulders to the stiff collar of the garment. Gently, he fingered the connection between fabric and plastic and eased the collar away before tossing into a corner.

  
  
Kathtryn closed her eyes as the weight was lifted away and rolled her neck, stretching the tight muscles even as Chakotay's fingers slid into her hair and his thumbs tenderly massaged her neck. Slowly, his thumbs stilled as he leaned in to kiss her. Where his previous kiss had been hesitant, cautious of the perilous collar, this kiss was filled with the sensual familiarity of long-term lovers.

  
  
Her lips parted on a sigh and his tongue slipped in to tease her own. Her own hands cameup to rest on his broad shoulders, one curling around the back of his neck as she rose on tiptoe, deepening the kiss. Her tongue chased his back into his mouth, stroking and mating as she pressed her body into his own.

 

One of his hands slid down her back, tracing the subtle ridge of her spine down to her waist. His grip tightened and pulled her hips to his so she could feel how very much he desired her. She moaned, tearing her mouth from his. Her eyes opened and met his own. Her irises were nearly eclipsed by her pupils as she stared into his. The love and affection that they had buried over the past year was unmistakeable in both.

 

Her eyes slid closed again as she dipped her head to lave and nibble at the tendons of his neck. Her hips rocked gently against his, further stimulating them both. His other hand dropped from her hair and tenderly brushed her breast. The slight drag of the textured fabric was arousing and her nipples puckered into hard beads. The hand that had been on her waist traced the faint seam of the zipper and drew it down. The gown loosened but its designed prevented it from falling away completely. His one hand continued to stroke her breast through the fabric even as the other slowly pushed the dress offer her shoulders and down her arms.

 

The unforgiving fabric trapped her arms and she was forced to stop her own exploration of his chest until her top was completely bare. Once it was, her hands immediately returned to his torso, parting his uniform jacket and pushing it off his shoulders. He helped to free himself, one arm at a time so he never had to stop touching her. The jacket dropped to pool on the floor behind him as her dress puddled at her feet, leaving her standing in stockings, bra and panties.  
  
   
  
His hand returned to its exploration of her breast, drawing small moans and whimpers as he alternately stroked and pinched the nipple and aureola through the fabric of her bra. She continued to explore his chest and shoulders, divesting him of his under shirt until he was bare from the waist up. She kissed his chest, laving his flat nipples with her tongue as she unfastened his pants and pushed them off his narrow hips.  
  
   
  
Her fingers danced along the edge of his boxers as he unfastened her bra. The first touch of his hand on her naked breast caused goosebumps to erupt on her skin and she swayed into his touch. He bent and kissed her again, their tongues mating deliciously as they stroked and teased the sensitive areas of each others' bodies. Her hand slid down further to grasp his erection through his shorts, drawing a groan from deep in his chest.

 

He broke the kiss reluctantly, resting his forehead against her hair as he breathed deeply, struggling to regain control. Her hand withdrew and he slitted his eyes to see a wicked grin on her face. She knew exactly what she was doing to him, the minx. He retaliated by kissing down her brow, along her temple and cheek to her ear, where he nipped the lobe lightly, before settling his mouth on the sensitive skin just below.

 

Her head fell back with a low moan and her legs started to buckle. He caught her, one hand under her satin-clad behind, the other across her shoulder blades. He took the few steps to the bed, collapsing backwards onto the firm mattress without ever losing contact with her skin. She sprawled over him, face half-buried in his neck as he continued to lave, suck and nip at hers. The idea that he was going to leave a mark flitted at the edge of her consciousness, but vanished as his fingers slipped between her legs to massage her core.

 

Her hips rocked involuntarily, straining for his touch. He withdrew, causing a whimper of displeasure, but his fingers returned again, this time questing beneath the damp gusset of her panties. She squirmed as they skirted her slick opening, teasing the edges without dipping inside. Slick with moisture they moved upward, stroking her mons til he found the sensitive bud of her clitoris.

 

A finger tip rubbed over the hooded bundle a nerves, growing bolder as her hips jerked in reaction. Kathryn hissed at the contact, her fingers tightening on his biceps, nails biting into his flesh.

 

She lifted her head, a hand coming up to cup his cheek as she kissed him forcefully. Her tongue plunged into his mouth, then drew back, enticing his to follow. She sucked his tongue into her mouth, her own tongue dueling with the capture flesh. She released it, only to chase it back into his own mouth.

 

His hand forgot it's ministrations and simply clutched at her behind, fingers digging almost painfully into the globe of her ass.

 

She eased back on the kiss, nibbling his lower lip, then capturing it with her teeth while her tongue alternately soothed and tormented.

 

His hands settled on her hips, holding her in place as his own hips bucked. She felt the firm heat of his erection brush the inside of her thigh, the taut fabric of his shorts adding to the delicious friction.

 

Gentling the kiss, she wriggled backward, aligning her pelvis more with his so their still clothed sexes ground together. Her own arousal had saturated her panties and was beginning to do the same to his shorts. She kissed down his neck, and then his chest, until she was forced to either retreat along the same path or sit upright. She pushed herself up, fingernails raking lightly over his chest and catching slightly on his nipples as she did.

 

She kissed the fingertips of one hand and transferred the almost chaste affection to his own as she slid off him and stood beside the bed. From this vantage point, she could see the full expanse of his golden skin, save for the delectable portion of his anatomy still concealed by his boxers. Unhappy with the incomplete view, she divested him of his shorts and knelt, palm and fingers exploring his tumescence.

 

He pushed himself up on his elbows so he could watch. Her head dipped and placed a light kiss on the head, the delicate touch straining his control. She looked up at him, smiling, as the ends of her bobbed hair danced over the sensitive flesh. Her eyes lowered again and as one palm tenderly supported his arousal, she nuzzled the other side, the smooth plane of her cheek brushing along the shaft.

 

His fingers clenched, gripping fistfuls of the bottom sheet as she dropped light, sipping kisses up the length. At the top, she detoured, lips and tongue lightly exploring the faint ridge that separated shaft from head. A thumb brushed the tip, smearing the bead of pre-cum that had formed, and his hips jerked upward.

 

She drew back slightly to give him a moment to recoup control before continuing to fondle him. One hand crept back to fondle his testicles, rolling them lightly between her fingers. His head dropped back and his eyes closed as she kissed the head before taking him into her mouth.

 

The wet heat of her mouth closed around him, tongue stroking up the thick vein along the bottom of the shaft as she sucked him in further. It was all he could do not to jerk his hips, forcing himself further into her throat. And then, her throat relaxed and she began to bob up and down, his entire length sliding and out of her hot, tight mouth. She coordinated the suction of her mouth with her movements, sucking strongly as she drew back and more lightly as she welcomed him back inside.

 

She could feel the trembling in his thigh muscles, sense the tightening of his scrotum in her fingers and she backed off, freeing him from the rhythmic massage of her mouth with a faint *pop*. As she did, his hands came up to her shoulders, drawing her up toward her former position.

 

He settled her back on his chest where she licked and nibbled as he pushed her panties down, exposing her molten core. The cool recycled air of her quarters was a bright contrast to the heat of his form beneath her and the skin of her thighs puckered into goosebumps even as she squirmed, trying to mate her groin with his.

 

Her panties removed, he now peeled the thigh-high stockings from her legs, one hand behind the knee to coax it up and out so he could roll the delicate fabric all the way down to her foot. He repeated the action on the second leg, but rather than releasing the leg when the stocking was removed, he kept it cocked with the hand under her knee as he carefully rolled them over.

Chakotay smiled down at her as their groins pressed together. She rolled her hips as her hands found his shoulders, with one sliding behind his neck and pulling him down for a kiss. Their tongues stroked and mated leisurely until Chakotay drew back slightly.

 

"Are you sure about this?"

 

"Hmmm, yes." The hand that wasn't on his neck stroked down his back to grasp his rear. "Aren't you?"

 

"With all my heart, Kathryn. But I can't do it if you're going to back away again. The last year . . ."

 

She reached up and kissed him again. "I know, and I'm sorry."

 

He sighed and looked at her sadly. He knew she was sorry, but it wasn't a guarantee that she wouldn't do the same thing the next time they disagreed. "It's more than that, Kathryn. You and I are both strong-willed and we're bound to have arguments. But I'm no good to you if I can't tell you when I think you're wrong if you're going to punish me for it. I can't be your lover and your first officer if that's how it is going to work."

 

She bit her lip, fingers stroking over his cheek and tracing his nose. "I can't . . . " she trailed off, and the conflict in her eyes was evident.

 

He made as if to leave and she clutched at him. "Kathryn, I just can't . . ." He was getting angry. They'd been doing so well, working back to each other over the past several months, but if she wouldn't even try to meet him halfway, it was a lost cause.

 

"Chakotay, wait, please." He stopped reluctantly, his weight on his hands and knees. "I know -- I know that we'll have disagreements and I can't promise that I won't want to push you away." She held him firmly as he tried to move again, "but I can promise to try." She felt him relax a bit. "You may have to remind me, and I'll probably give you grief about it . . ."

 

He couldn't help but smile at that. She wouldn't be Kathryn Janeway if she didn't. "I don't doubt that you will. But you have to *listen*. You can't just block me out if you don't like what I have to say. I love you, Kathryn, but you *know* it won't work any other way." She pushed on his chest and he looked at her, surprised, before starting to scramble off of her.

 

She caught his wrist, "Hold it!" then sighed as she saw him blanch and frown at the command tone. With the hand not holding him in the room, she rubbed the bridge of her nose. "I just-- if we're going to have this discussion, do you really think it should take place while we're inches from having sex?"

 

His expression eased somewhat and he chuckled. "I don't know about your definition, but I'm pretty sure we were already having sex . . ."

 

She rolled her eyes. "You know what I mean. Gods, Chakotay, I can hardly think sometimes when you kiss me and if we're going to discuss what we both need and want out of a relationship, I'd rather it be clear that we're both thinking rationally and not just saying something in the heat of the moment." She tugged gently at his wrist and he sat next to her on the edge of the bed. She turned toward him, tucking one leg up as she did so.

 

"Chakotay, I *do* love you and I know that hasn't always been clear. I know for sure that I don't make it easy, and I know I've made mistakes." She pursed her lips momentarily. "The incident with the Borg being perhaps one of the worst in this journey. And I was wrong to push you away, to reject our relationship just because you disagreed with me. But I also know how I am, and while I hope that I wouldn't do the same thing if I had it to do over again, I can't be sure of that.

 

"I can't even be sure that I won't try it again in the future." She sighed, a bit disheartened. For all her diplomatic experience, she really didn't know how to communicate what she needed from him. "You, better than anyone, know what a great responsibility being a captain is, but I'm only human and as much as I try not to show that to the crew, I'm going to make mistakes."

 

He turned his arm to grasp hers as she held his wrist. She'd admitted she'd made a mistake but he knew that if she wasn't going to put in some concerted effort to avoid the situation again, it would be untenable for him. He just couldn't go through the pain of her pushing him away again, simply because he didn't “yes-ma'am” her every idea. "I know you're going to make mistakes, Kathryn. Only a fool would believe otherwise. But there's a reason you have a senior staff, and that is to provide you with answers and viewpoints you may not see. You have to listen to us, to me, and not take it personally when we disagree with you. We're all in this together and if we don't work together, we won't survive."

 

Kathryn knew he was right, that as much as the ship needed her, she needed her senior staff. And she needed to listen to them. It didn't matter if they held three hour long briefings every day, if she didn't listen. But more than all the varied expertise of her senior staff, she needed Chakotay. After five years, she was more than beginning to feel the strain of being the captain all the time.

 

The first time she'd started to become aware of the strain had been back after one of their first encounters with the Vidiians. B'Elanna, Tom, and Lieutenant Durst had been captured and only B'Elanna and Tom had made it back. The unfortunate Durst had been harvested for organs. Most notably, his very face had been grafted on to one of the Vidiian doctors' horrible visage. Other than those crew members who had not survived the trip to the Delta Quadrant, his death had been the first and it had hit her hard.

 

Later, when the Bothan's visions had visited the crew, she'd thought maybe she'd gone round the bend until Kes was able to fight off the psychic attack. Seeing the characters from the holodeck had been bad enough, but when her former fiancee had appeared to her in the turbolift . . . She shuddered just thinking about it. The first two years had been hard, but Chakotay's staunch support and friendship had help buoy her up. On occasion, she'd even allowed herself to flirt with him.

 

And then had come New Earth. In some ways, their exile had been both the most trying and the most rejuvenating experience she'd had in that time. Giving up on the idea of home, being forced to accept that her life in the stars was over, had been a huge blow and she'd fought it with all her might. And then, just after she'd relaxed and begun to make a life with Chakotay, Voyager had returned for them and she'd been forced to do an abrupt about face with her life perspective for the second time in as many months.

 

She was sure that she'd wouldn't been able to handle it with as much grace as she'd managed had she not had Chakotay there to help. They'd become lovers on New Earth, but the evolved relationship had only been a week old when they'd been restored to the ship. She'd initially tried to pull away, to re-establish the relationship they'd had before their two months on New Earth, but he hadn't let her. Maybe she would have been able to resist if it hadn't been for Seska's treachery and being stranded again so soon after, but in any case she hadn't.

 

For the next year, they'd managed a relatively tranquil personal relationship that ran neatly parallel to their command relationship. She didn't know how she might have reacted to some of the trials of that year if he hadn't been at her side and was glad that she'd never had the opportunity to find out.

 

Then they'd encountered the Borg.

 

She'd struggled with the sense of betrayal she'd felt when she'd learned of his liason with Riley Frasier. Intellectually, she knew it wasn't his fault, but her heart just saw the lingering intimacy between him and the blond drone. She'd forced herself to act naturally around him, confident that she could defeat the spurious demon of jealousy. She'd almost done it, too, but the Doctor's malfunction, the Taresians' claim on Harry, Chakotay's abduction by the saurian Voth . . . all of it had piled up and when they'd disagreed over the Borg and Species 8472, it had become too much.

 

All the fatigue and strain she'd felt before had come back full force and this last year had been almost torturous. They'd had a few moment, here and there. He'd been marvelously kind when she'd gotten the letter from Mark, and she in turn had offered him her support as he struggled with the news of the Maquis slaughter, and slowly, they'd been able to regain much of the closeness in their friendship. Once or twice, she'd wondered if there was any chance that they might try again with a more intimate relationship, but each time she though he might be interested, he'd backed off.

 

Until tonight.

 

And now, she had to decide. She knew he'd remain her first officer if she said she couldn't do it, knew he'd still do his best to help shoulder her burdens and help her command the ship. But would he still be her friend? She just didn't know. And even if he was, she didn't know if she could be content with that. She did know herself and knew she was struggling as it was. Was it fair to invite him into that?

 

Was it fair not to give him the choice?

 

She looked down at their linked hands. At some point, their mutual wrist grasp had morphed into something more like the hand-hold they'd shared on New Earth just before they'd become lovers the first time. Perhaps it was a sign.

 

She looked up to see him regarding her with a slightly concerned expression and it occurred to her that she'd been quiet for several minutes. It was something of a miracle that he hadn't taken her silence as a refusal and left. He really was too good to her.

 

"I promise to try,” she said again, and hoping that he understood the layered meanings. She felt like she should say more but didn't really know what else there was to say. He knew what she was like and he'd laid out compelling and accurate arguments for changing her ways. All the pretty words she might come up with at this point couldn't change anything. Her actions would have to speak for her from this point on.

 

"I'll help you." He touched her cheek with his free hand, a soft brush of his knuckled against her skin.

 

She leaned into the touch slightly, a gentle smile gracing her lips. "I'd like that. You may have to remind me at times, though.” She cautioned him again.

 

"I'm sure I will." He ducked his head and chuckled softly. She followed his gaze and joined in his amusement. Perhaps one of the most serious discussions they'd ever shared and it had occurred while they were sitting butt naked on the edge of her bed.

 

"Well, if I ever had any concerns about our ability to separate our personal life from duty, this should resolve them."

 

"The issue was never keeping our personal life out of our duties, Kathryn, but keeping our duties out of our personal life." His voice dropped as he leaned in. "I'm going to kiss you now."

 

"Hm, that's nice." She leaned into the kiss, which was a deeply tender affair compared to their most recent activities. "Keeping . . . my . . . duties . . . out . . . of . . . our . . . life . . . you . . . mean." She spoke between tiny, sipping kisses about his lips, down his chin and onto his neck.

 

He nodded, feeling that his mouth was better employed in exploring the bare expanse of her shoulder than in speaking at this point.

 

She leaned back, pulling him down with her. He had to shift a little but soon they were in a position very much like they had been before things had taken a turn for the serious. His arousal, which had diminished somewhat during their discussion, had returned and pressed, hot and heavy against her inner thigh.

 

She squirmed, anxious for him to move against her. Instead, a hand skimmed down her body, tickling lightly over her belly before finding her core. Despite her eagerness, she could feel the slight pull on her flesh as he explored. His mouth returned to her neck ask his fingers danced over her sensitive flesh, his thumb finding the recessed bud of her clit.

 

A finger slid inside her as his thumb flicked over her jewel, making her hips jump. He soon added another finger, then another, until finally all four of his fingers were pumping in and out of her as his thumb continued its sensuous massage of her aching jewel. Her head rolled even as a luscious torpor settled over her body. Her nerves felt like they were on fire but any motion might chase away the pleasure that was racing through her. "Please . . ."

 

His fingers moved faster, the pressure and rhythm of his thumb intensified until the torpor suddenly became a rictus as her body seized, back arching, her internal muscles clenching over his still thrusting digits. After several seconds of a keening wail, she grunted and her body fell bonelessly back to the bed.

 

Her head lolled drunkenly as she turned to look at him. With extreme effort, she brought a hand to the back of his neck and pulled him in to another kiss. "Your turn now." Her other hand wandered down his back and around to his groin. Her light touch quickly turned greedy as she pumped his shaft. She smiled when his hips rocked into her ministrations.

 

He groaned, burying his face in her neck as he hunched over her, thrusting into her hand. "Please, Kathryn."

 

Her hand dropped away and settled on his rear. "Come into me."

 

His hand, still slick with her come, adjusted their alignment. The head of his engorged penis prodded her overly sensitized bud and she hissed. Her hiss turned into a moan of pure pleasure as he slid home. "Yessss."

 

He stayed like that for just a moment, his lips tasting the pulse-point in her neck before she shifted, her legs coming up around his waist and encouraging him to move with her heels on his backside.

 

He entered her fully, then withdrew almost completely before plunging completely into her depths again. With each stroke, she whimpered as he left and moaned in delight at his return. His hand returned to her clit, rubbing slightly with each forward thrusts. He could feel the sweat beading on his back and the damp glide of their chests and bellies.

 

Her hand joined her heels as she strained for a deeper connection. His thrusts shortened and his unoccupied hand gripped her hip as he slammed into her. Abruptly, her back arched again, her entire body gripping his, trying to pull him fully into her as she screamed his name.

 

Two short, involuntary thrusts and-- "Kathryyyyynnnnn!" he bellowed as he came.

 

 

It was several minutes before the crest of pleasure had ebbed and, as the tide of passion retreated, it left their sweat-slicked bodies to rapidly cool in the recycled air of Kathryn's quarters. Chakotay's greater bulk shielded Kathryn for the most part, but his bare back was the first to feel the uncomfortable prickling as gooseflesh tightened his damp skin. He twitched his shoulders, trying to banish the feeling even as he buried his face in Kathryn's neck.

 

Beneath him, Kathyn was not completely oblivious. Although his larger body made quite a nice blanket, it didn't cover her completely and the nipping fingers of chill bit at every damp centimeter of skin it could find. She shivered slightly and Chakotay raised his head. “What's wrong?” He shifted, ready to leverage himself off when her arms tightened around him.

 

“Don't go. It's just a little cool.”

 

For all that he'd drunk of the sweaty-sweet smell of her as thought it were a tributary of the river Lethe to help him forget the outside world, he could not ignore the bumpy flesh that marked his arms. He kissed her shoulder, then craned his head around, looking for a handy blanket. The only one in immediate reach was the covering on her bed which had become rumpled and marked during their exertions.  
  


“Computer, raise ambient temperature in the captain's quarters by two degrees.”

 

“Unable to comply. You do not have authorization to edit the environmental controls of the captain's quarters.”

 

Kathryn squirmed slightly beneath him. “Computer, raise ambient temperature in the captain's quarters by two degrees, authorization Janeway alpha-four-seven-two-zero.”

 

The computer bleeped a cheerful acknowledgment and Chakotay imagined he felt the difference immediately, although he knew it would actually take several minutes before the circulating air would have warmed to the desired temperature. He shifted again and this time Kathryn dropped her right leg so he could roll them over. She snagged the edge of the coverlet as they rolled, pulling it over them. It didn't quite cover them completely but was definitely an improvement.

 

Once she was ensconced on top of his chest, she propped her chin on her right hand as her left hand stroked idly over his chest. “Chakotay?

 

Wrapped in the combined warmth of the blanket, the slowly warming air, and Kathryn, his energy was rapidly flagging. His reply was little better than an inarticulate mumble as he shifted Kathryn into a more comfortable position on his chest.

 

Kathryn sighed, knowing she wasn't that far from sleep herself. At least she could almost guarantee a full and restful night. She's learned early on that sleeping, really sleeping, with Chakotay was a near perfect cure for her periodic insomnia. She didn't know if it was his scent, his warm embrace, his faint snores, or just his overall presence, but whatever it was, she had a much greater chance of a good night's rest when Chakotay was around. Even if she did wake, rather than haunting the near-abandoned corridors of the Gamma shift, she was generally able to resettle herself against his warm body and fall back to sleep. She tucked her head under his chin and closed her eyes, content for the moment to simply enjoy the peace and safety of his presence.

 

@>\--'---,---- 

 

Somewhere in a hazy distance, the computer was telling her it was time to get up. Reluctant to leave the cozy bed and Chakotay's embrace, she mumbled "Computer, reset alarm for thirty minutes" before turning to bury her head back into the warm pillow of her first officer's chest. She wasn't due on the bridge until half-way through the alpha shift, so she could afford a lie-in.

 

But it seemed that either the alarm or her hurry to reset it had roused Chakotay. He shifted slightly, dropping a kiss on her hair. “Good morning.”

 

She smiled beatifically as she lifted her face to his. “Yes, it is.” Stretching, she brushed the underside of his chin with her lips. “Do you have alpha shift?”

 

“No, but I have a couple of appointments with crewmen later this morning.”

 

“Hmm, then we don't have to get up yet.”

 

“No, I suppose we don't.”

 

“Good,” she kissed his chest, pulled his head down for a real kiss. “I meant what I said, Chakotay, and I have no regrets. I am yours for today, tomorrow and onward.”

 

The end.


End file.
